“The mobility around the hip joint is really important for a footballer. Micah is a strong, powerful player so we need to keep him mobile and make sure he can reach the range of motions he needs to perform out on the field.

“The actions in this exercise are used all the time on the field. Players actually get themselves in some quite extreme positions out there.”

As Richards testifies, it’s exercises like this that have helped him cope with the Premier League’s swashbuckling wingers.

“Because I’m quite a fast player, working on my agility and running technique has helped me massively,” he told FFT.

“If I didn’t have that it would be a little bit harder to track the wingers because they’re smaller, they have a lower centre of gravity and it’s easy for them to go left and right.”

Learn more about the technique and benefits of the hurdle step exercise by watching this video.

Micah is an ambassador for If U Care Share, a charity that encourages young people to discuss their problems: www.ifucareshare.co.uk